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Company: Awespiring Weddings and Design
Location: Edmonton and area
Website: www.awespiringweddings.com
Blog: www.awespiringweddings.com/blog

What made you get started in wedding planning?
I’ve always been on an event planning committee, no matter what job I was working at.  I love being behind the scenes.  When it came time to help my sister plan her wedding followed by planning my own, I loved it!  My sister also felt the same way; we looked up how to get certified in the industry and took the Wedding Planner course offered by the Wedding Planners Institute of Canada.  I haven’t looked back since!

What type of wedding planning do you specialize (Full, Day of, Design)?
We do it all.  We offer a variety of services to our clients.  We also customize packages to meet a clients needs.

What is your favorite part of a wedding?
When the bride and groom see each other for the first time, it’s a magical moment!

Do you have a favorite style/theme of wedding?
I don’t have a favorite style/theme.  I love when a couple has a vision of what they want their wedding day to have, and we can make that vision come to life for them.

What are some of your hobbies?
scrapbooking, card making, reading and spending time with my husband.

What is one word of advice you would give to a bride?
Its your day, make decisions that will make you happy.  You are the one that has to live with the decisions made.

 
(Photo Credit: ENV Photography)

Company:  Aisle Plan Your Day Wedding Coordination & Event Planning

Location:  Edmonton & Area;  International Destination Weddings

Website:  www.aisleplanyourday.com

Blog :  http://aisleplanyourday.blogspot.com

What made you get started in wedding planning?
Over the years, I was always the one to look after planning events, anniversary parties and Birthdays among my friends and family. It wasn’t until I started planning for my own wedding that I realized this was something I would love to do as a career. I have such a “passion for planning” and I knew that I wanted to do something in my life that made me truly happy. I am now enjoying every day of my career as a wedding planner. In addition to wedding planning, I am also an instructor for the Wedding Planners Institute of Canada [www.wpic.ca] and am thrilled to teach and certify new and upcoming wedding planners in the industry.

What type of weddings do you specialize in?
I do all types of weddings and offer several different services to my clients. I offer hourly consultations for clients who are planning their own wedding, but require some assistance with one or more wedding concerns. I offer full wedding planning packages where I am there to help the couple from the beginning; right to their wedding day. I also offer Day-Of Wedding Coordination which is designed for couples who have planned their entire wedding, but want to ensure they can enjoy their wedding day and have a certified professional to look after finalizing all of the details. In addition to the above services, I am also a Certified Destination Wedding Coordinator and offer destination wedding planning & coordination internationally.

What is your favorite part of a wedding?
My favorite part of the wedding day is the bride & grooms 1st dance. Usually by this point, the bride & grooms nerves are calm and they have announced their vows in front of friends/family and are finally ready to enjoy the excitement of the wedding reception. This is their opportunity to talk alone, stare deep into each other’s eyes and celebrate their first dance as husband and wife. 

 What are a few of your favorite blogs?
Wedding Planners Institute of Canada
Preston Bailey
Style Me Pretty
What are some of your hobbies?
I LOVE to travel. I spend a lot of time travelling in search of the perfect destination wedding locations for my clients. In the past year, I have travelled to Jamaica, Bahamas, Turks & Caicos Islands & Las Vegas & Mexico. In addition to travelling, I love photography and will often spend my afternoons all over the city taking photographs of things that interest me.

What is one word of advice you would give to a bride?
On your wedding day, step back for a moment and take everything in… its so easy to forget about all of the little details that took months of planning… and with the hustle & bustle of the wedding day, a lot of couples forget to just take a minute to themselves.

Company: High Culture: Weddings & Special Events Inc.

Location: Edmonton and area & further destinations

Website: http://web.mac.com/high.culture/

Blog: High Culture Blog

What made you get started in wedding planning?
I have always been a planner. The source of inspiration to plan weddings and special events came to me at a very young age. For as long as I can remember, I have always been inspired by Preston Bailey and Colin Cowie and when I was younger, I absolutely loved to watch Giada de Laurentiis television program Behind the Bash. I grew up in the hospitality industry – my father a Food & Beverage Director and my mother a pastry chef (former). From there, I worked part time at events for my dad and in grade ten, I was a student in the International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme where I completed a personal project about weddings – what they consist of and how to plan one. After I had finished my project which I had been fully consumed by, I felt like I was missing something in my life – wedding planning, so I completed a Wedding & Special Event Planning course directed by Milena Santoro, a former wedding & special events coordinator from Vancouver. It was an absolutely incredible experience. After I received my certificate from completing the course, I slowly began to gain clients (while still a high school student!).

What type of wedding planning do you specialize (Full, Day of, Design)?
I do it all – I plan other functions as well but weddings are what I choose to specialize in. In regards to weddings, I do full coordinating, day of management, and design. I enjoy working on events both locally as well as other destinations. I love to travel – I have a passport that is always ready to be used!

What is your favourite part of a wedding?
This is a tough one – I have a lot of favourites! When I complete full coordination, I absolutely love going through the planning process ensuring that a couples vision will be executed as well as being able to see everything unfold on the day of! I find it so gratifying to see my clients wowed and to go beyond their expectations. A few favourites: the beginning of the ceremony, the first kiss, speeches (I love listening to sentimental and heartfelt speeches)… I LOVE knowing that I have been a part of one of the most significant days of a couples lives.

Do you have a favourite style/theme of wedding?
I adore classy and elegant weddings. Candlelight and flowers are two of my favourite items in the area of decor. I also love it when a wedding is unique to the couple – when a couple adds their own personal touch(es) to their wedding, it feels more real, more them.

What are a few of your favorite blogs?
Preston Bailey
Edmonton Wedding Photographers – there are so many gorgeous images to view!
Wedding Obsession

What are some of your hobbies?
I love to travel! I am constantly intrigued by trends and traditions within each culture and I think that traveling is the perfect way to gain cultural knowledge. Cooking & baking (I am a total foodie), painting & decorating, and reading are also some of my favourite pastimes.

What is one word of advice you would give to a bride?
Well, I think that the advice can be shared between the couple – your wedding day is a stepping stone to spending the rest of your lives together and I think that this process is really the precursor to what you can expect from your life together. Enjoy the moment!

Planner: A Modern Proposal
Photos: Erik Hornung Photography
Ceremony: Mornville Catholic Church St. Jean Baptiste
Reception: Edmonton Garrison
Flowers: Flowers by Coral
Cater: Elizabethan
Cake: Bake Me A Cake
DJ: Revolution Entertainment

Taryn and Mike were such a beautiful couple that were the perfect clients, very relaxed and super happy! It was a fun winter wedding, which was suiting since their last name was Noel. Taryn looks absolutely in her gown – don’t you think?

Simple decor was set out, with lots of candles and pussy willows, it gave the room a very warm glow. On the piano we set out photos of the people who were not at the wedding, Taryn and Mike lit candles right before their first dance – it was very beautiful touch to honour those who were gone.

Photo Credit: Shandro Photo

Company: Awespiring Weddings and Design

Location: Edmonton and area

Website: www.awespiringweddings.com

Blog: www.awespiringweddings.com/blog

What made you get started in wedding planning?
I started out planning events at my then daytime job, then for non-profit groups.  After nine years of doing that, I had to plan my own wedding.  This is when I realized, having a creative side (I’m a graphic designer),  that weddings were so much more fun to plan!  I went on to get certified by the Wedding Planners Institute of Canada (WPIC) with my sister, and partner.

What type of wedding planning do you specialize (Full, Day of, Design)?
We do it all.  Working with my sister helps us shine as we create a balance of organization, creativity and motivation.

What is your favorite part of a wedding?
Seeing the groom’s expression when he first sees his bride.

What are some of your hobbies?
I love to be creative; I’m always designing something – be it a wedding monogram or cards for a friend.  My best times are spent with my husband and puppy.

What is one word of advice you would give to a bride?
Never lose sight of what’s the most important thing… bottom line, you are marrying the man you love.

Photo Credit: Shandro Photo

Company: A Modern Proposal Event Planning

Location: Edmonton and area

Website: www.amodernproposal.com

Blog: http://edmontonweddingplanner.amodernproposal.com

What made you get started in wedding planning?
When at a job as an administrative assistant I started out planning little events such as meetings, annual general meetings, and then larger events such as charity functions, award shows and golf tournaments. I then had to plan my own wedding. I had a good friend of mine tell me it was my calling. And should couldn’t have been more correct. I started by taking an Events Management Course and then later my Certification through WPIC.

What type of wedding planning do you specialize (Full, Day of, Design)?
All, I limit the amount of each type of wedding (i.e only 5 full coordination weddings a year)

What is your favorite part of a wedding?
Being the last person to see the bride before she walks down the aisle.

What are a few of your favorite blogs?
Oh, I love blogs! The local photographers in Edmonton sure have some beautiful photos so I sit on those for a good amount of time.
Ruffled
Hostess with the Mostess
Ritzy Bee

What are some of your hobbies?
Well I like to bike ride with my hubby in the summer and I love scrapbooking and DIY crafts and home improvements!

What is one word of advice you would give to a bride?
Figure out what is most important to you and go for it. It’s only one day.

(source)

If your groom is hesitant on spending the money on a wedding coordinator, have them take a look at this groom’s perspective, it just might change their mind! You’ll have to read the original article for the full scoop but below are some key points.

Link to Original Article

“On your wedding day, you have two goals: 1) to actually (and legally) get married, 2) to enjoy your guests. In order to accomplish those two things, you need to be able to focus solely on them, which I guarantee you won’t accomplish if you also are coordinating everything on your wedding day.”

“Even if you are the most penny-pinching miser, hiring a day-of-coordinator is a no-brainer and a bottom-line value, mostly because you are actually making the most of a big investment (your wedding) by having them there helping. If money is time, then if you are spending time coordinating your wedding day, you are losing loads of money by not being able to enjoy yourself and your guests. So for just a small investment, you ensure that you will make the most of your big day.”

Well it depends on your priorities – you can technically afford anything you want, if you prioritize properly.

The least amount of coverage any bride should have is a day of (or month of – depending on the coordinator) coordination. The coordinator will not really do much planning – that will have been your job. But they go over the details of the wedding to ensure that nothing has been forgotten because they want to ensure your wedding runs as smoothly as possible.

A wedding coordinator is hired to ensure that the day goes by smoothly and ensures that any issues are taken care of and that you will be a guest at the wedding. They ensure that everyone who needs to know things (i.e. schedule) is kept in the loop, for example if you are running late from your photos they will let the kitchen know your ETA. They are there to ensure that you receive what you have paid for, for example if your rentals show up without the chair covers you ordered.

Day of coordination usually starts at $650 – $2,500 depending on the coordinator (experience, education), number of hours, and duties.

Some coordinators/planners have a combination package a package with a bit of planning and day of coordination. This allows you to pick your vendors and do most of the leg work and the planner will come in and help you with the details and then coordinate the wedding day (as above).

Now, if you want it all you will have the full planning & coordination – which usually includes everything and anything. You will have the planner help you choose appropriate vendors, create your vision and coordinate your wedding day. A wedding planner & Coordinator will save you countless hours and money by avoiding costly mistakes that most brides & grooms make. Not to mention the sanity you will have and the free time.

Now this usually runs for 10-15% of your total budget starting at around $1,200 (again this depends on the coordinator). Considering day of coordination starts at $650, that is a pretty good deal!

It has been reported that 70% of brides who didn’t use a planner, wish that they had. Ask yourself much is your sanity worth?

(source)

Written by: Julianne Cragg, A Modern Proposal Event Planning

“Why do I need a coordinator my venue will do everything, they come with a coordinator” – This is one of the largest misconceptions when it comes to Venue Coordinator (the one that is at/comes with your venue) vs. an Event/Wedding Coordinator.

We are two very different kinds. Very simply put a wedding coordinator’s client is you; a venue coordinator’s client is their manager. A wedding planner’s interests lye with the client (YOU) while a venue coordinator’s interest lye with the venue.

A venue coordinator may assist with putting out linens or perhaps a room layout or even give you a list of the vendors that have been to those facilities before. However, most venues come with a coordinator. Most venues also have high turnover and multiple weddings in a day, which means you aren’t their only concern that day and you will potentially be working with a few ‘coordinators’. With multiple weddings, they aren’t in your room the whole time ensuring that guests aren’t raiding the sweet buffet before dinner! Once food is served they usually disappear. This doesn’t offer much support later on when you can’t find your toss bouquet or the Emcee goes missing.

A venue coordinator is there to coordinate anything that relates to the venue; where as a wedding planner is there to coordinate anything that relates to your wedding.

Both a wedding coordinator and venue coordinator are very important, but they also play very different roles, which may overlap in a few places concerning the reception décor or set up. But that’s usually where the similarities end.
Venue Coordinator will:
- create a floor plan
- create a menu, and attending the tasting
- set out décor items you brought the night before
- ensure a grand entrance into the reception room

Wedding Coordinator will*:
- assemble a master timeline and ensure it is carried out
- reviews contracts, ensure contracts are carried out
- have contracts on hand and previous emails to back up what vendors have said they will do for you
- ensure vendors/VIPs arrive and know what to do
- direct & assist guests at the ceremony and reception
- ensure that your best man has the rings that the marriage certificate is in place
- work with you to set up your rehearsal, direct if necessary
- create a seamless wedding by being the liaison between family/cake/dj/photographer/other vendors
- line up and cue the bridal party & musicians
- attend to any needs of the bride & bridal party
- set out any personal items (guestbook, flowers, escort cards, etc.) at the reception & ceremony and then collect any personal items

*(sample list, not even remotely complete)